


Life Lessons

by Triangulum



Series: Dahlia Emmeline Hale [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, M/M, Parent Peter, Parent Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 07:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13899567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Triangulum/pseuds/Triangulum
Summary: "So you have no idea why Maria's dad called me today?""Uh, no?" Stiles asks. "Is she okay?""She's fine. Mr. Ramirez is very interested about why she came home talking about kicking boys 'in the gonads', though," Peter says.Stiles bites his lip, suddenly very interested in the picture hanging on the wall next to Peter."Huh, yeah, weird," Stiles says. "So, mashed potatoes with steaks tonight?"





	Life Lessons

Peter hangs up the phone with a sigh, rubbing his temples. Usually Stiles has to be here to cause a headache, but sometimes he manages to do it from afar. If he were a superhero, that could be his power. A very direct form of telepathy that induces migraines in his victims. To be fair, some of it was Maria's father's fault. The man was insufferable at the best of times, but Peter and Stiles try to play nice as much as they can for Dahlia's sake. She wouldn't be very impressed if her dads were rude to her best friend's father.

Perfect timing, because Peter can hear Stiles pull into the driveway. Dahlia is babbling excitedly about a project she has on the solar system while helping Stiles bring in groceries. Stiles encourages her, keeps asking her questions, prodding her along. It warms Peter's heart, as much as his husband and daughter always do, but still. Headache.

"We're home, Papa!" Dahlia calls when they walk in. 

"And we have steak!" Stiles calls.

"But it's for later! You can't eat it yet!" Dahlia says.

Peter smiles slightly and stands, following their voices to the kitchen where they're unloading groceries. Dahlia is sitting at the breakfast bar, taking things out of the bags and handing them to Stiles to put away. Stiles smiles when he sees him, kissing him lightly before finishing putting the steaks in the fridge. Dahlia shrieks in joy as Peter whisks her up, spinning her in a circle before pressing a kiss to her temple. She's getting big, already eight years old, but holding her isn't exactly a hardship. 

"Daddy and I went to the craft store!" Dahlia says. "We got glitter clue, and construction paper, and and and - "

"Remember to breathe, kiddo," Stiles teases. He takes a juice box from the fridge and passes it to her.

"Thanks," she says. "We're gonna cannon...canbal...what'd you call it?"

"Cannibalize," Stiles says. Peter's eyebrows raise.

"Yes, can-bal-ize a Monopoly game, and make Spaceopoly for my project!" Dahlia says.

"Yeah?" Peter says. "That sounds fun. Tell me more."

Dahlia launches into her plans for her Spaceopoly board while Peter listens, nodding along and asking questions at the right time. He has to be careful, she's taken to Stiles' tendency to go off on a tangent if they don't rein her in in time. Peter waits until she pauses to take a breath before smoothly interjecting, stopping an upcoming rant about Pluto and how she's going to include it no matter what Mrs. Perkins says.

"Uncle Derek is going to be here soon to pick you up," Peter says. "Why don't you go make sure your room is clean before he and Claire get here?"

Dahlia nods and scampers off to her room. On Sundays, Derek takes out Dahlia and his daughter, Claire. Sometimes it's to the local park and ice cream, sometimes they go out in the preserve, sometimes he takes them shopping, like last week when Dahlia came home with new sparkly chapstick and light-up shoes. Derek is putty in Dahlia and Claire's hands. And Dahlia, well, she loves her uncle and her cousin.

Peter waits until he can hear Dahlia clattering around in her room before he turns to Stiles with his brows raised. Stiles raises his right back.

"So, sleepover went well last night?" Peter asks mildly. Dahlia had had a few kids over from her class, and while Peter was in his office working, Stiles had been in charge of the kids. 

"Yeah," Stiles says with a shrug. "Cassie didn't want to make a tie dye shirt, so we have an extra if you feel like reliving the fashion of your youth."

"I wasn't alive in the 60s, Stiles," Peter says. Stiles grins. "So you have no idea why Maria's dad called me today?"

"Uh, no?" Stiles asks. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. Mr. Ramirez is very interested about why she came home talking about kicking boys 'in the gonads', though," Peter says.

Stiles bites his lip, suddenly very interested in the picture hanging on the wall next to Peter. 

"Huh, yeah, weird," Stiles says. "So, mashed potatoes with steaks tonight?"

"Stiles," Peter says. "Did you tell the kids to kick boys in the balls?"

"No!" Stiles says. Peter levels a look at him and Stiles deflates. "Okay, not _quite_ like that..."

"Stiles..."

"No, okay! Cassie was talking about how a boy in her class keeps grabbing her and yanking on her hair, and the teacher won't do anything! So I just let them know that no means no, and if boys don't respect that, to kick them in the balls and they'll figure it out quick," Stiles says quickly, like if he says it fast, Peter won't hear it. "It's a valuable life lesson!"

Peter sighs, headache back in full force. While it's true that they've always taught Dahlia that no one is allowed to touch her without her permission, they've tried to stay away from encouraging a bunch of third graders to beat up their classmates.

"We can't parent other kids," Peter says. "It's up to their parents to teach them how to deal with things like this."

"Well nothing is going to get done, then! They just tell them to talk it out, and it starts again the next day," Stiles says. "Not everyone has a dad that puts the fear of god into bullies' parents like you do."

"I promised Maria's dad that you won't tell them to beat people up anymore," Peter says. "And you're going to keep that promise, yes?"

"Fine," Stiles says, sulking. "Only if you have a chat with the parents of the kid who's picking on Cassie."

Peter groans. There's already gossip that Peter's part of the mob because his 'talk' with Jason Holbrook's parents had ended with the dad nearly pissing himself. In his own defense, Peter only threatened them after they made it clear that they weren't going to stop their son from picking on Dahlia.

"I don't want a reputation as the hit man for elementary schoolers," Peter says.

"That's not a no," Stiles says. "Talk to his parents, and I promise to cool it on telling the girls to start a girl gang."

"You told them to start a girl gang?" Peter asks.

"No," Stiles says quickly. "Just, you know, it's a future possibility."

"Fine," Peter says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Give me the kid's name."

The kid's parents don't cry, but it's close. Peter would be lying if he said he doesn't get satisfaction out of that.

**Author's Note:**

> Come talk to me on [ tumblr ](http://www.hotpinklizard.tumblr.com).


End file.
